ARDYTH T. DAVIS

ARDYTH T. DAVIS (Age 84)  
Ardyth Gay Trimmer Davis, passionate and creative artist, musician, mother, and wife, passed away Tuesday, April 7, 2015, surrounded by her family in Brunswick, Maine. Ardyth was born in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania on May 23, 1930, to Thomas and Evelyn (Charlier) Trimmer. After the death of her father, and while still a teenager, Ardyth and her mother moved to Washington, D.C. She was a graduate of The Corcoran School of Art, and was employed as a cartographer at the Defense Mapping Agency. Ardyth was an active congregant at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church for over fifty years, where she indulged in her great love for music by singing in the choir, in special concert performances, and in music theater productions. There she also met her husband-to-be, Bennett Van Siclen Davis, and the couple were married at the church in 1955. Ardyth also sang for the Masterworks Chorus (now called the National Philharmonic) and several other community choral groups. She lived in Northern Virginia with her family most of her life, principally in Annandale and Leesburg, then retired to the Chesapeake Bay community of White Stone, Virginia. In her final years, she and her husband moved to Brunswick, Maine, near the home of their son Thomas. Ardyth was filled with a passion for the creation of fine arts and a need to always be doing something with her hands. She drew inspiration from the colors and textures of nature and spent much of her life working with fibers and textiles. "Creating an art object is the focus of my life," she said. "Once you are creating something, that action sparks other avenues to pursue-and so it goes." She was an early member of the Fibre Workshop at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, Virginia, where she spent ten years working in textile arts. Her award-winning artwork, much of it abstract constructions of dyed and pleated silks, is in many public and private collections. Ardyth's works have been published and exhibited nationally and abroad, including in Pakistan and Indonesia with the Arts in Embassies Program of the Department of State. One of her layered silk quilts is held in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery. Ardyth is survived by her husband, Bennett of Brunswick, Maine; son Thomas, of Woolwich, Maine; son Peter of Ashburn, Virginia; grandchildren Courtney Davis and Ryan Davis; and a lifetime's passion for creating vibrant and inspiring works of fine art. A celebration of Ardyth's life, to be held at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church will take place later this year. Arrangements are by Daigle Funeral Home, 819 High Street, Bath, Maine. Condolences may be made online at www.Daiglefuneralhome.com.